Leaked Warzone 2.0 release date bodes well for the sequel
A fresh start is just what this series needs.
The leadup to Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 has been mostly quiet, with Activision slowly trickling tiny bits of information ahead of its 2022 release. The company has yet to officially reveal its release date, but a recent leak indicates it will launch earlier than expected — in November 2022. But if true, what does this mean for the start of Warzone 2.0?
What happened — A now-deleted Reddit post featured an image of a leaked internal document including release dates for upcoming Activision Blizzard titles. This list was spotted by Charlie Intel before it got taken down.
It included details about World of Warcraft Classic, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Diablo IV, and Warzone 2.0, among others. According to this internal document, Warzone 2.0 is gearing up to launch on November 16, 2022.
Warzone 2.0 marks the start of a new era for Call of Duty.
Why this is a good thing — Historically, Warzone integrations have occurred in December, and have always launched with bugs that plague the game for months after release. Then, when Activision developers go on vacation for the holidays in mid to late December, the community is forced to deal with a buggy mess of a game until after January.
That’s why it’s a good sign that Warzone 2.0 could launch in November, giving the developers more time to iron out any major issues before the holiday season, and allowing devs to take a vacation without having to worry as much.
Sure, the game will probably still need some work after the start of the new year, but hopefully, this plan will alleviate many of the scheduling issues that come with a December release.
The supposed November release date would give Activision enough time to ensure Warzone 2.0 runs well in time for the holidays.
This will also help ensure the game is in better condition in time for the holiday season when many players get new consoles. Giving the developers several weeks to address initial issues ahead of Christmastime could help the game start off on the right foot.
Those brand new players will likely stick around if the game works and runs well right off the bat, instead of forcing them to wait until after January for a future update. That wait could cause them to drop off early, so it makes sense from a business perspective for Warzone 2.0 to have as few bugs as possible close to launch.
This supposed time frame would also give the community around two and a half weeks to grind for weapon XP in Modern Warfare II, encouraging them to check out the new mainline game before Warzone 2.0’s release. In 2021, lots of players got sick of grinding for weapon XP and attachments in Vanguard since the wait for the Warzone integration was around five weeks. This two-and-a-half-week timeframe could be the sweet spot.
It’s also heartening that — assuming the leaked release date is true — Activision is confident enough with the product to have it ready to go by November. Typically, major Warzone updates feel like they’re held together by duct tape, but considering how much Activision has learned in the past few years, our hopes and expectations for the sequel are high.
Activision is planning a Call of Duty: Next event on September 15, which will feature more news about Warzone 2.0, and possibly a release date. Though, it wouldn’t be surprising if the November 16 date ends up being right.
